


In the Way of Things

by ForestFiresong



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, magic au that isn't really a magic au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 15:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13274802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestFiresong/pseuds/ForestFiresong
Summary: In which Reiner is a knight, Bertholdt is a mage, and Annie has had just about enough of them being sappy for each other.





	In the Way of Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Songbird321](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Songbird321/gifts).



> this was written for the Reibert secret santa over on tumblr for pretty-eyes-jaeger!! apologies for the late delay in uploading;;
> 
> i tried writing a magic au but... it's pretty much the same, except for the fact that bertholdt can do magic, titans don't exist, and everyone is alive (for now)
> 
> please enjoy!!

“All right, I think this is the last one.” Bertholdt mutters to himself as he glances down at the list in his hand. The light coming into the library is dim, filtered through dusty windows that likely haven’t been cleaned for a century. He can barely discern Armin’s writing, neat as the lettering is, so he makes his way over to the window to read it, shifting the massive stack of books he has under his arm as he goes. **  
**

Searching for books in a dark library is not how he usually spends his days, and it’s a far cry from the hours he typically spends under the hot sun, training with sword and lance and quiver. Ever since he and Reiner and Annie left their middle-of-nowhere hometown and joined up with the Imperial Army, grasping at just a little stability in life, the days have been nothing but grueling. It was only when his magical aptitude test revealed that he had the potential to become a mage that Bertholdt was allowed this one day soiree into the library, where the royal librarian Armin had given him an extensive list of reading materials to get him started.

With dismay, Bertholdt realizes that the final item on his list is a rare tome that resides on the very top shelf of the last row of bookshelves– a high enough perch that is even too formidable for him, despite being the tallest in the army, and probably the whole castle.

Magic could probably fetch the book easily, but since Armin is away on his duties, Bertholdt tries to conjure up other solutions; he’s darting in and out of bookshelves, looking for a stepstool of some sort, when a sudden hand on his shoulder nearly scares him out of his skin.

“Bert!” says an all too familiar voice and oh, thank god, it’s only Reiner, and not a murderer or a thief or Mikasa, a female soldier who embodies the phrase, “if looks could kill"–

and then, thank God, it’s Reiner. It feels like it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other, even though it really hasn’t, and he’s probably being stupid but Bertholdt smiles despite himself, even though he’s still mad at being snuck up on, even though there’s no way Reiner is allowed in here at all.

And then he hears the voices.

“Reiner?” but it’s not just Reiner, Bertholdt begins to realize, as he turns around and sees the people streaming into the library, hears the voices begin to fill up the formerly silent space. Right behind Reiner are the constant companions Sasha and Connie, and then Eren and Mikasa, and shadowing Mikasa is Jean, and then Marco, and–

“You’ve brought the whole army,” Bertholdt says weakly. Reiner doesn’t appear to hear him, because he takes the list of books from his hand and gives it a quick inspection.

“Are you going to be able to read all of these?” he asks, giving the sheet a wave. “Well, hopefully not by tonight, because Connie and I found some cards–“

“Reiner!” Bertholdt finds his forcefulness and he grabs his boyfriend by the shoulders, trying to bring him back on track. “Why are you here? Why is everyone here?”

“We were sparring in the castle gardens,” Reiner explains, and Bertholdt notices his training clothes– not quite a full suit of armor but padded protectively, and sticking to him with a light layer of sweat. “Everyone wanted to visit, so I just told the guards that you let us in, so–”

“It wasn’t everyone,” says Annie, who has suddenly materialized at Reiner’s armand is surveying the library with her usual dispassionate gaze. “It was mostly him. Everyone else just wanted a break.”

“Come on, Annie.” Reiner says, trying to give her a good natured shove, which she deftly dodges.

“Anyway, that’s the not the entire reason we came here. Actually–“

But before he can finish, Bertholdt hears a crash and sees Connie and Sasha sneaking sheepishly away from a bookshelf.

Bertholdt feels a rush of despair. “Armin is going to kill me.”

“Armin can’t kill anyone.”

“You just don’t know.” Armin, though small and unassuming, is capable of fury whose depths are unknown to humanity. Despite having inches on him and a great deal more physical strength, Bertholdt doesn’t feel especially like testing him.

“But Eren and Mikasa are here, and he won’t get mad them.” Reiner says. He gives Bertholdt another slap on the shoulder, which startles him again despite having been fully prepared. “It’s fine!”

It’s not fine, but Bertholdt is starting to realize his utter helplessness in this situation, so he ignores it. “If you say so…. let me get this one last book and then you can tell me why you’re really here.”

“Sure thing,” Reiner replies; he cranes his neck to follow Bertholdt’s gaze, which is fixed on the shelf way above both of their heads, the gold lettering on the spine glinting dully in the light. “That one, huh?”

“Yeah…” Bertholdt sighs. He’s about to resume his search for stepstool when suddenly Reiner grabs him about the waist and hoists.

“Oh–” Bertholdt grabs on to the edge of the bookshelf to stabilize himself, heart in his throat. “Reiner! Put me down!”

“Grab the book!”

“You better not drop me,” Bertholdt mutters. A drop of sweat is dripping down his neck, but the book is just within his reach, so he takes it and holds it close to his chest as Reiner lowers him to the floor.

“See, you’re fine,” he says, and he gives Bertholdt a quick squeeze before letting his feet touch the floor. “Have I ever dropped you before?”

“Not yet,” Bertholdt replies, letting out a sigh of relief for being on solid ground. Reiner is strong enough that he probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but the idea of the two of them falling and crashing into the bookshelves, sending tomes everywhere, is enough to make him queasy.

But as Reiner laughs at him, brushing dust from the both of their shoulders, he has a vision– a vision of what it could’ve been like if Reiner hadn’t brought the entire goddamn army of Sina along, if it had been just the two of them, like it usually was, trawling around the library searching for books; Reiner’s not much of a reader, but he always shows interest in what Bertholdt is reading, and he’s already demonstrated that he’s a good help with reaching high shelves….

“So the reason we’re here,” Annie says, appearing once again beside Reiner and causing them both to jump. “We have a mission.”

“That’s right, a mission!” Reiner clears his throat. “A mission, for the three of us.”

“A mission…?”

“From Queen Historia.” Annie brushes her hair out of her eyes. “Because we work well together.”

“We do make a good team,” Reiner says, attempting to sling an arm around the both of them. Annie dodges him again, but Bertholdt leans down into it, so that they’re at least two-thirds of a good team.

He supposes that the queen is right; the three of them are from the same hometown, and in training they do have a good dynamic. But fighting is about as far as it goes; Annie has avoided any efforts to become friends, or anything resembling that. When it comes down to it, Bertholdt is almost certain she’d toss them to the wolves; Reiner for sure, if he keeps trying to hug her.

But Reiner doesn’t seem to sense this, because he just keeps on talking. “She wants us to go to the Forest of Giant Trees and investigate. She’s gotten reports of illegal trappers, and maybe even a thieves’ headquarters!”

“Isn’t this kind of sudden–“

“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Annie says. She pulls on the collar of Bertholdt’s shirt. “We should go prepare.”

“I’m not quite finished here….” but Bertholdt is cut off by sudden yelling and a thundering of footsteps, shaking the shelves and fluttering the pages of a book left out on the table.

“Shit, it’s Shadis!” he hears Connie curse, before the voice of their terrifying captain rings out through the fast-emptying library.

“If you mangy lot don’t get back to sparring this instant–”

“We should go,” Reiner mutters, and for once Bertholdt follows him without argument.

* * *

“It’s quiet.”

These are the first words that are spoken between the three of them in the almost hour they’ve been walking through the forest, but Bertholdt can’t help but let it out; the eerie green twilight and half-shaded tree trunks make him feel trapped, and the complete lack of any birds calling or insects buzzing only makes it worse.

“It’s too quiet.” Reiner says gravely. “Make sure you’re on your guard.”

“Especially because they’ve laid a lot of traps,” Annie adds, but Reiner has already forged his way ahead and now stands on top of a particularly large tree root, arms crossed.

“All right,” he declares. “So if we encounter any trappers, Bertholdt and I will go in the front, and Annie–“

“Wait,” Bertholdt interrupts. “Are we even supposed to engage? I think we should just investigate and then write up a report so the higher-ups can deal with it.”

“Probably, but if we see someone committing illegal activities we can’t just let them, can we?”

“I guess not…”

Reiner leaps down from the tree trunk and continues walking, with Bertholdt jogging to keep pace. “So if we do see anybody–”

“Oh look, a trap.” Annie says mildly, just as the earth falls from beneath the two of them and they go plummeting into the abyss.

Well, not quite. Bertholdt’s breath has barely left his throat before he falls into a net of tightly woven vines, some five feet down from ground level but considerably sturdy given the circumstances. They even hold up when Reiner comes crashing down on top of him; they both let out stifled grunts of pain, though Bertholdt feels it a little more potently, especially when Reiner sits up and jams a knee in a rather sensitive spot.

“Annie!” he yells to his blond comrade who is squatting beside the pit and is staring at them with what could almost be considered amusement–if he thought she was even capable of feeling such.

“What is it?”

“Help us out– sorry, Bert,” Reiner apologizes as he shifts around again, straining his neck to look up at Annie. “You have rope, don’t you?”

Annie merely stares at them for a moment before getting up. “I do.”

“So get it–“

“But I’m leaving you in there.”

Bertholdt feels his blood freeze in his veins. “What?”

She shrugs. “It’s not dangerous. If it was, it would’ve broke when you first fell on it. It’s meant for much bigger game than you.”

“But the thieves–”

“There are none.”  She picks up her sword and sheathes it, brushing a lock of golden hair over her ear. “I climbed a tree in the beginning and looked. They were scared off when we first came in, so it’s nothing serious.”

“When does she do all of this?” Reiner mutters. Bertholdt can’t even move enough to shrug.

“But,” she adds, “I plan on disabling the rest of the traps, and I can’t do it with you guys.”

“Why not?”

She looks almost disdainful. “You two have been acting too lovesick. It’s a little hard to be around. I think you need some quality time together.”

And with a offhand, “Good bye,” she leaves the two of them there.

For a moment they just lay there, Reiner flopped across Bertholdt’s chest, their limbs tangled in each other’s. Finally Reiner speaks.

“Why is she like this?”

“She always has been.”

“Don’t you know any magic spell or something that can get us out of here?”

“I just started learning… I don’t know anything useful yet.”

Reiner sighs. “I think we’re stuck here.”

Bertholdt shifts a bit, wrapping his arms around Reiner and trying to get comfortable, since he doubts Annie is coming back for them any time soon. Or ever. Aside from the imminent threat of falling to death, it’s not a bad position to be in, exactly. “I hope there really isn’t anything in this forest.”

“There isn’t,” Reiner says, as if trying to appear confident for both of their sakes. “But I’m going to murder Annie when we get out….”

“She’ll murder you.”

“I’ll risk it.” Reiner turns his head, staring up at the foliage miles and miles above. “Who just leaves people in dangerous traps? and what did she mean by lovesick?”

“She’s just like that,” Bertholdt says sheepishly, but he can’t help but wonder about that too. “I mean, we haven’t seen each other as much lately….”

“…But nothing has changed,” Reiner says. But then he pauses. “Well, I have missed spending time with you.”

“You’re just being sappy,” Bertholdt says, blushing half from the sentiment and half from the fact that Reiner’s sheathed sword is pressing against him. Both in the euphemistic sense and the wholly literal. “I’ve barely been away.”

“But you have all these books to read, and all this magic to learn…” Reiner waves his hand idly. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll miss you however and whenever I want.”

“Whatever you say,” Bertholdt replies. “I wanted to spend more time together too. Just not…. not really like this.”

“Me neither,” Reiner says, and suddenly he’s looking indignant again. “Seriously, what was she thinking…”

“Come on, she’s trying to do us a favor.” Bertholdt says, because he’s truly starting to believe that she was, and that the situation isn’t actually all bad. Unless it starts raining, but that’s a distant worry for now. “I think we should take advantage of it.”

“How so?”

“Just–“ Bertholdt tries to maneuver himself so as to cause the least amount of discomfort possible, and strain the vines as little as he can. As gently as possible, he reaches upwards and gives Reiner a kiss.

It’s a little longer than the pecks they usually exchange, but also more restrained; or at least, it begins that way. Reiner begins to kiss back a bit too enthusiastically, which is not entirely unwelcome; that is, until they hear an ominous sounding snap.

“Did you hear that?”

“….Yes.”

“It’s probably nothing, so-”

“I just heard another one.”

“Shit, we really need to get out of here–”

“Annie?”

“Annie!”


End file.
